44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 7, 2023 10:00AM
- Mar/7/23 2:33:02 p.m.
- Watch
Order. I want to remind hon. members that one thing they cannot do is refer to either the presence or the absence of someone in the chamber.
I will let the hon. government House leader take it from the top, and I am sure he will be judicious in his words.
51 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:33:44 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, of course that question was asked, despite you saying that it was unparliamentary several times. I want to put that as a matter of record.
Let me say this and be very clear. One of the things that we had as a long tradition in our country was to make sure that when we were dealing with national security, we did not use national security as a way to play partisan politics and to grind an axe on one other.
The reality is that this issue of foreign interference has been a serious issue since well before this government. It was a matter that the member across was responsible for as a minister. They did not take action. We have—
123 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:34:24 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for La Prairie.
6 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:34:26 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, at his news conference on Chinese interference yesterday, the Prime Minister once again made it clear that he just does not get it.
People want a public inquiry. He announced a secret committee. Secret is not public; it is secret. We wanted an independent inquiry.
The Prime Minister is going to appoint a special rapporteur himself. This person will report to him and submit their report to him. That is not independent in the least.
Why is the PM refusing to set up an independent public commission of inquiry?
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:35:06 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister was very clear yesterday.
Since taking office, we have implemented robust, concrete measures to counter foreign interference in our elections. We also asked a special rapporteur to go over all these issues and, transparently, give the government recommendations for next steps. We will keep doing what needs to be done to reassure Canadians that our elections are free and democratic and that all members of Parliament were 100% elected by Canadians.
76 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:35:47 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, what the Liberals do not understand is that this is not about opposing the government.
This is not about one party against another. It is about public trust in the electoral system. It is about ensuring a level playing field from the start. If we cannot address the issue of the integrity of our elections in a transparent manner, frankly, we are in trouble. We will start to look like a banana republic, with all due respect to bananas.
When will the Prime Minister create an independent public commission?
91 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:36:27 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, we share precisely that concern with my hon. colleague opposite.
To reassure Canadians, as we have been doing since we first formed government, our intelligence agencies and Canadian institutions are resilient, and we have introduced measures to counter interference in the Canadian electoral system.
Since we formed the government, we have further strengthened these measures. That is also exactly what the Prime Minister announced yesterday evening.
68 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:37:05 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the allegations of foreign interference are disturbing and serious. That is why, at committee, we asked for a public inquiry. We asked for a process that is independent and public.
Why is the Prime Minister ignoring these two criteria?
41 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:37:29 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, I do appreciate the question from the NDP leader.
We share his concerns, as should all members of the House of Commons, about the importance of strengthening our democratic institutions. That is exactly what we have done since coming to power.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister announced other additional measures to increase this protection. We understand that we need to be transparent and open with Canadians. That is exactly what we will continue to do.
76 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:38:09 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, if the Prime Minister really wanted to restore the confidence of Canadians, he would call a public inquiry.
Here is the situation. We have a Conservative Party that only cares about playing political games with something so serious as our democracy. New Democrats understand that this is serious and it is not an opportunity to play political games. That is why we demanded a public inquiry at committee. There are two criteria we have: The process has to be independent and it has to be public.
Will the government confirm that its process will answer questions about what the Prime Minister knew, when he knew it and what he did about it?
114 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:38:51 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, my hon. colleague values transparency. So does this government. That is why yesterday, when we announced the imminent appointment of a special rapporteur, we said that we would abide by and respect any recommendation that that individual would put forward, including and up to a public inquiry.
Equally, I would remind all members of this chamber that we also announced that we would commence consultations on a foreign agent registry as well as the launch of a coordinator to fight against foreign interference. I sincerely hope this is something that all members of this chamber are united on.
100 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:39:30 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, the Liberals and the NDP are now openly working together to cover up the truth. Yesterday, the Prime Minister kicked the can down the road by announcing that a hand-picked rapporteur is going to look into maybe looking into the interference. He announced that a secret committee with secret hearings will hear secret evidence and then give the Prime Minister a secret conclusion.
When will he call a public inquiry and tell everybody what he is hiding?
80 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:39:58 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, members heard the government announce yesterday that it is our intention to appoint a special rapporteur who presents the qualifications, the experience and the knowledge to navigate and survey the options on the best next practical steps that we can take to protect our democratic institutions, including our elections.
Is this truly what the Conservatives have resorted to now, denigrating the very institutions that are there to protect our democracy? Is that all they have to offer, denigration? I sincerely hope not.
84 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:40:31 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, it sounds desperate. It is a special rapporteur. I get it. The Liberals are blocking a public inquiry, and the NDP is blocking a parliamentary inquiry. As a result, Canadians get a secret committee to look into interference by a foreign dictatorship in our democracy. It is shameful work by the cover-up coalition.
Will they commit to a truly independent and actually public inquiry to look into what the Prime Minister is hiding?
76 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:41:04 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, our hon. colleague keeps referring to some secret committee. I think that would be very disparaging for the women and men who serve on the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians. We set up, in legislation, an oversight mechanism to look at these very issues, something the previous Conservative government refused to do. Members of her party serve on that committee.
Members of all political parties represented in this House and senators have done good work. We will continue to work with them on these important issues.
90 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:41:43 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, Beijing's foreign interference is a serious threat, a national threat. It threatens the integrity of democratic institutions, social cohesion, the economy, long-term prosperity and fundamental rights and freedoms, but the government has not treated this threat seriously. It has hidden behind all sorts of excuses and accusations, like anti-Asian racism. Now it is hiding behind a secret committee with secret hearings, secret evidence and secret conclusions, all controlled by the Prime Minister.
When is the government going to come clean with us and with Canadians about what exactly is going on?
96 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:42:24 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, my colleague knows well that this government takes the work of fighting against foreign interference very seriously. That is why we introduced Bill C-59, which gave CSIS the threat reduction measure powers it needed to address and mitigate that risk. That is why we introduced Bill C-76, to crack down on foreign funding that could interfere with our elections, but with the corresponding transparency to create the NSICOP and NSIRA, all of which ensures that we can be upfront with Canadians so we can defend our democratic institutions.
The Conservatives should rise above the fray and see that this is not a partisan issue—
109 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:43:04 p.m.
- Watch
The hon. member for Wellington—Halton Hills.
8 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:43:06 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, if the government treated the threat seriously, it would listen to the advice of CSIS. CSIS has said that an effective way to counter foreign interference is through sunlight and transparency, to build resilience by informing Canadians about interference threat activities. The government has done the opposite. First it hid behind excuses and accusations, and then it hid behind a secret committee and a special rapporteur. The government has been anything but transparent about this. It is burying the truth in process. Why?
85 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- Mar/7/23 2:43:55 p.m.
- Watch
Mr. Speaker, my hon. friend likes to refer to what CSIS said. Let us talk about what it said in 2013, when the Leader of the Opposition was the minister responsible for democratic institutions. It specifically warned, 10 years ago, “When diaspora groups in Canada are subjected to clandestine and deceptive manipulation by a foreign power in order for it to garner support for its policies and values, these activities constitute a threat to the security of Canada.” What did the then Conservative government do for two years after that 2013 threat? It did absolutely nothing.
98 words
- Hear!
- Rabble!
- add
- star_border
- share
- menumenu
- notificationsnotifications
- home
- mailmail
- searchsearch
